Driftwood Outdoors

Asian carp – a generic term used to group eight species of heavy-bodied cyprinid fish native to Asia but now swimming in U.S. waters – are threatening to invade the Great Lakes. If they do, a chain of events could unfold that leads to the demise of native fish species, crushing the commercial and recreational fishing industries of the Great Lakes.

On Monday, July 19, five states – Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania – joined together and filed a lawsuit with a Northern Illinois District court hoping to incite greater action from federal and municipal officials in efforts to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.

If you noticed the names Indiana and Illinois missing from the above list, it was not a typographical error. While our neighbors are busy preparing for court, Indiana and Illinois are downplaying the gravity of the situation. In fact, Michigan Senator Carl Levin, (DDetroit) personally took aim at Indiana’s lack of concern over the possibility of Asian carp spilling into Great Lakes drainages, even though they are firmly established in the Wabash River.

According to an article from The Detroit News on July 9, “Levin (D-Detroit) sent a letter to Governor Mitch Daniels saying he was “deeply concerned” by comments made July 2 by officials in the Indiana Department of Natural Resources after experts warned if the Wabash flooded, the fish with the voracious appetites could find their way into the Maumee River, which empties into Lake Erie.”

The letter came in response to a series of comments made by DNR Communications Director Phil Bloom, who stated in a July 1 Chicago Tribune
article, “We’re looking at how much flooding would be needed to create an adequate passage from the Wabash to the Maumee.”

In a July 2 article found on Businessweek.com, Senator Levin stated, “The news that Asian carp in the Wabash River in Indiana are mere miles away from the Great Lakes Basin is yet another alarm calling us to address this clear threat.”

Senator Levin calls the carp “a clear threat.” Bloom said, “We’re looking into it.” Obviously, there is a difference in opinion over the severity of the situation.

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said in a statement, “Asian carp will kill jobs and ruin our way of life. We cannot afford more bureaucratic delays – every action must be taken to protect the Great Lakes.”

Now that is a statement from a concerned person. Unlike Bloom, who went on to say, “We have no evidence that Asian carp have been able to penetrate that barrier.”

Well, here is a novel idea Mr. Bloom, let’s wait until we do have evidence. Let’s wait until it’s too late, then we can react to a situation we should have been proactive about, because then, we’ll have evidence.

But alas, we don’t have to wait. It’s amazing how quickly the “looking into it” turned into action once Governor Daniels received a letter from Senator Levin.

According to a July 14 DNR press release written by Bloom, the DNR has now identified Eagle Marsh, a 705-acre restored wetland near Fort Wayne, as a possible pathway for Asian carp passage under certain flood conditions.

The release goes on to say, “Therefore, as an immediate preventive measure, the DNR will install mesh fencing across a section of the marsh, creating a barrier against passage of Asian carp between the Wabash and Maumee drainage basins.”

Politics at play on our rivers. Wonderful. In the course of a week, it went from “looking into it,” to “immediate preventative measure.” Priceless.

In the Businessweek.com article Bloom said, “We don’t like Asian carp and we don’t want them in the Great Lakes any more than anybody else.”

Really? Then why doesn’t the lawsuit filed on Monday include a sixth state? To me, it appears Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania are more concerned about Asian carp reaching the Great Lakes than Indiana is.